


The Scourge On The Name Of All Cats

by crow_tooth



Category: Warriors - Erin Hunter
Genre: "its mentol illness innit", F/F, F/M, M/M, good scourge au, normalized queerness, so is tigerclaw, thistleclaw is a dick, tw "racism" if thats what you wanna call it ig, tw anxiety, tw bullying, tw mental health issues, wow i project onto characters too much
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-24
Updated: 2021-03-14
Packaged: 2021-03-15 00:28:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,596
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29675628
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crow_tooth/pseuds/crow_tooth
Summary: Tiny was just a poor kit, bullied endlessly by his two littermates, growing up knowing he'd never find housefolk who'd want him. Then he wanders out into the forest and gets attacked, as we all know, but warrior Bluefur decides to take him back to ThunderClan's camp for treatment. This can't change a lot about the story, right?
Relationships: Bluefur/Oakheart (Warriors), Other Relationship Tags to Be Added
Comments: 3
Kudos: 31





	1. Chapter 1

Oh, how Tiny had wished he’d stayed in his housefolk’s nest.

That brute, apparently named Tigerpaw, seemed to be only slightly older, maybe a couple of moons? Yet he was so much larger, stronger, crueller. His massive striped paw remained on Tiny’s black chest, right underneath his violet collar.

“Tigerpaw, stop right this instant!” the blue-gray she-cat meowed harshly. “He’s just a kit!”

“Don’t you order my apprentice around!” the gray-and-white tabby tom growled back at her.

Tigerpaw did indeed stop, but only due to the arguing piquing his interest. It was lost within moments, however, and the claws on his free paw continued striking bleeding wounds into Tiny.

Tiny heard the she-cat cry out more demands to stop, but Tigerpaw didn’t seem to hear, or he didn’t care. Tiny himself could barely make them out, his strength slipping away, his will parting with his mind slowly.

Tiny hardly realized when Tigerpaw was no longer hitting him. When he did, his frosty eyes flickered open slightly to see the she-cat pinning Tigerpaw to the ground, just as Tigerpaw had just been doing to him.

Tiny knew he could stand now, but how could he with this pain coursing through him?

“Bluefur, enough!” the bicolored tom, who had encouraged Tigerpaw, hissed. “Get off of him. He’ll stop.”

Bluefur slowly obeyed, her pale eyes never leaving Tigerpaw.

“It doesn’t matter, anyways,” Tigerpaw meowed, standing to shake his fur out. “That kittypet will  _ always _ remember  _ me _ .” He huffed. “If he even lives.”

Bluefur stood there alone, allowing the two toms to leave, the older one praising Tigerpaw when he believed Bluefur couldn’t hear. Bluefur sighed and shook her head, then turned to look at where Tiny lay on the blood-soaked grass.

“I’m so sorry you had to go through that,” Bluefur mewed. “I… do you have a Twoleg?”

“A what?” Tiny murmured weakly.

“The creatures that walk on their hind legs and who keep cats as their possessions,” Bluefur meowed. “Do you have one of those?”

Tiny nodded.

“Do you know where its nest is?”

Tiny shook his head. “Can’t remember… anything…”

Bluefur stood in thought for a moment. “I suppose I could carry you on my back and follow your scent trail back to where you came, but that would take too long. You might bleed out before we make it.”

Tiny’s eyes widened with fear: would he really die at the claws of a sadistic wildcat?

“No, you’ll be alright,” Bluefur meowed, as if she could sense his anxiety. “I’ll take you back to ThunderClan’s camp. Sunstar will surely agree to let you get healed up.”

Bluefur grabbed Tiny’s scruff and shifted him onto her back. He clung on weakly with his claws so as to not fall off, although she walked reasonably gently despite her rushing.

The green and brown of the forest blurred around them, Tiny’s eyes nearly shut with exhaustion. They were shut when several voices suddenly surrounded them, but he couldn’t make out the words, and he didn’t care to. He was so… tired... 

“Featherwhisker!” Bluefur called out, ignoring the mewing.

Cats began to approach them: even with his eyes closed, Tiny could tell that much. Their tones sounded confused, some angry, a stray few worried.

“Who is this?” a tom asked, who Tiny could hear was directly in front of them.

“A kit that Tigerpaw attacked on Thistleclaw’s orders,” Bluefur meowed. “He’ll die if you don’t treat him.  _ Please _ , Featherwhisker.”

“He seems to be a kittypet,” Featherwhisker mewed. “Are you sure Sunstar is alright with this?”

“Sunstar would never wish death on any cat, not even a kittypet.”

With that, Bluefur started walking again, and the darkness replacing the light blaring through his eyelids told Tiny that they were in some sort of building. Wildcats didn’t live in buildings like house cats, did they, though?

Tiny felt himself slide carefully off of Bluefur’s back as she tilted her body. He landed on a cold ground, and he gathered enough strength to open his eyes. Much to his surprise, he wasn’t in a building at all. Every surface appeared to be stone.

“Hello there,” Bluefur mewed quietly. “Featherwhisker’s just gathering his herbs now. He’ll treat you in a moment, and then we can talk to Sunstar about letting you stay here while you get stronger.”

Tiny frankly understood nothing of what she just said -- those words that weren’t foreign to him, his mind couldn’t process. However, he picked up on the comforting, almost maternal tone, and he felt his fear slowly ease away as he closed his eyes.

Time passed as Tiny’s mind remained in shambles, his wounded body too weak to support much else other than keeping him awake. Stinging accompanied the physical pain several times, until the pain dulled completely, yet didn’t fully disappear.

The cold, hard stone floor was replaced with a soft material formed into almost a bed-shape. This was when Tiny finally welcomed darkness, floating in a dreamless sleep. He wasn’t sure how long he was unconscious, but it felt like a lifetime.

When Tiny awoke, it was dark outside. A speckled gray tom with a silver-dotted muzzle was coming in through the entrance, and his deep blue eyes met Tiny’s lighter ones.

The tom stopped in his tracks as he murmured, “Ah, so  _ you’re _ the one. Oh, I shouldn’t question StarClan, but I do ever-wonder… you’ll suffer, and suffer, just for others. I don’t envy you, kittypet.”

“What…?” Tiny mewled, a croak in his voice.

“You should get a drink,” the tom mewed. “I’m sorry for the flames that shall burn your pelt, and the stones that will break your pads, and… oh, that tiger. That  _ creature  _ should not have lived. I am sorry for him too, StarClan.”

The tom kept walking further into the… what was it, a den? Tiny watched him, wondering if he’d even been talking to him at all. Needing to know, the kit’s squeaky voice echoed throughout as he spoke:

“What do you mean?”

The tom froze. Without turning his head back, he muttered, “May StarClan help us all. You included, Tiny,” and he kept walking.

The fur on Tiny’s scruff bristled with surprise, but he said nothing else and let the old tom go on his way. His head began to swim with thoughts, and being confined to this  _ bed _ wasn’t helping it.

Yet he continued to stay there anyways, thinking about Quince and his littermates. Did they miss him at all? Were they happy to finally be rid of him, like a flea that had been biting at their rear for three moons? What would he do after recovery?

That is, if Tiny was even allowed to stay for a moment longer. Perhaps he’d be tossed out, and those wildcats would yowl with delight, watching as he cried in the dirt from the pain of the wounds and the rejection.

Or perhaps they would further his wounds, tearing off the herb paste he felt on them, going on and on until he was no more. Perhaps they would feast on his flesh, his blood tasting so sweet to these beasts of the forest.

The thought of blue skies and sunny days and laughter filling the air of a fun-filled afternoon had escaped him, and Tiny could no longer remember those rare moments of happiness. The bullying of his littermates was horrible, but the thought of death…

Before he knew it, Tiny had broken down into sobs, his eyes growing cloudy and his mind fogged. A cat appeared in the entrance, and Tiny realized it to be Bluefur through the blur by her blue-gray pelt, which he’d never known other cats to have.

“Blue!” he cried, not able to say much else through his wails.

Bluefur padded over to him quickly. “What happened?” she asked worriedly.

“I…” More sobbing interrupted his words.

“Calm down,” she meowed. “Take deep breaths.”

Tiny couldn’t even  _ think _ about controlling his breathing, much less following her orders. Speaking of which, his chest only rose and fell quicker and quicker, and his vision shrunk far in front of him, darkness filling in the gaps.

Tiny scrambled with his claws for anything that might help him, but all that he felt was that soft material that made up his bed. He tightened his claws’ grips on it, and he tried desperately to calm his frantic mind.

A form pressed around him, and his claws released the bedding as pressure was applied all over his body. He curled in on himself, and the form followed. What felt like moons passed before his breathing finally steadied, and his mind began to calm.

That was when Tiny realized it was Bluefur that had curled around him, likely on instinct.

“Are you okay now?” she asked. “I didn’t know what else to do.”

Tiny could only nod.

“Is he okay?” Featherwhisker mewed, and Tiny lifted his head slightly to see him and the gray-speckled tom standing nearby.

“He’s alright now, but he was just freaking out and crying,” Bluefur meowed. “Did something happen to him?”

“He was fine when I came in from the dirtplace,” the speckled tom grunted.

“Did you do anything to him?” she growled.

“Of course not!” the tom replied. “I just came in and went back to sleep. Until he started weeping, that is. Not your concern, anyways.  _ You’re _ not his caretaker.”

“Sunstar said I had to be responsible for him while he was here. Did you forget? Your mind slipping, Goosefeather?”

“That’s enough,” Featherwhisker meowed calmly. “Bluefur, the kit’s alright now. Why don’t you go back to sleep?”

“It’s nearly dawn,” Bluefur mewed. “I might as well stay awake.”

“Well, then why not stay with the kit and help calm him further?” Featherwhisker meowed. “Come on, Goosefeather. Let’s go back to sleep.”

Goosefeather followed him further back into the den, muttering to himself. Both Tiny and Bluefur watched him go.

“I’m sorry for him,” Bluefur meowed. “He’s… not fit to be medicine cat anymore. As if he were ever fit at all.” She shook her head. “Anyway, enough about him. Now that you’re okay, what’s your name?”

Tiny hesitated before mewling out his name.

“Oh. That’s a cute name, Tiny.”

“It’s a mean one,” he mewed.

Bluefur frowned. “Well, at least you don’t have mine. It literally just describes my pelt!”

Bluefur’s attempt at a joke had him smile a little. “Why are your names weird, anyway?” he asked.

“It’s just Clan culture.”

“Clan?”

“It’s a lot to explain,” Bluefur meowed. “You’ll probably pick it up while you’re here, but I guess I can tell you about the ranks if you’d like.”

Tiny nodded eagerly, his fit forgotten.

“Well, at the very top is the leader. They have ‘-star’ at the end of their names. Our leader right now is Sunstar. They are given nine lives so that they may be first to fight in battle and last to take prey from the pile.

“Second to the leader is--”

“Wait, wait,” Tiny mewed. “Nine lives? So they live nine times?”

“Not necessarily. Let me explain: let’s say Sunstar were struck down in battle, and he died. He would use up one life and return to his body, good as new, when it healed.”

“Why not give  _ every _ cat nine lives?”

“No one can tell StarClan what to do, Tiny, and they give no reasoning for their actions.”

“Oh.”

“Second-in-command is the deputy. They sort patrols and help the leader with the Clan. Our deputy is Tawnyspots. Maybe one day he’ll be Tawny _ star _ . Then there are the medicine cats, who heal our wounds and communicate with StarClan.”

“What’s StarClan, anyway?” Tiny mewed.

“Our ancestors. Every Clan cat goes to StarClan after their death. You can see them up in Silverpelt, the strip of stars in the night sky. They share tongues with our medicine cats so that they may advise their leader best they can.”

Bluefur went on explaining the ranks of a Clan -- Tiny was told that this one was called ThunderClan, and they lived in the forest, while the others lived in a marsh, a moorland, and… well, the other one was like a forest, but they liked to swim.

Bluefur was almost to explaining something called a “Gathering” when a cat he hadn’t seen before poked their head in.

“Bluefur, stop talking to the kittypet, and come join the dawn patrol,” the dark tabby meowed. “We’ve got hunting to do.”

“Yeah, Adderfang, I’ll be there,” Bluefur mewed dismissively.

Adderfang shook his head with a sigh and backed out.

“Hunting?” Tiny asked. “Like eating dead animals?”

“It’s how we nourish ourselves,” Bluefur meowed. “I know you kittypets eat those hard pellets. Honestly, I don’t know how you do it.”

“Maybe dead animals are better?” Tiny mewled, for some reason finding the inner desire to please her.

Bluefur chuckled. “It’s called ‘fresh-kill,’ Tiny.”

“Oh, okay. Fresh-kill. Yeah.”

“You’ll get to try some when this patrol comes back. Speaking of which…” She got out of the bed and began padding towards the entrance.

“Goodbye, Bluefur!” Tiny mewed as Bluefur left the den.

Tiny laid his head down against the soft material, suddenly left with his mind again. He tried not to let it roam, reeling it back in when it began to delve in dangerous areas. However, it was hard to keep it completely safe while alone in a dark den.

Tiny fell asleep at some point, though he couldn’t pinpoint where. It was a nice dream, one where Socks and Ruby played with him for once. They were playing hide-and-seek, and Tiny was hiding in a bush near the edge of the yard.

“Hey, can I hide here too?” a voice mewled, and Tiny looked down to see a tiny ginger tom-kit, even younger and smaller than he.

“Oh, okay,” Tiny replied quietly. “Be quiet, though! Socks is looking for us.”

There the two cats hid, never being found, not even after the entire day passed. Tiny frowned -- they’d just been playing fine together before. Why wasn’t Socks even looking?

“Well, I guess he quit or something,” Tiny meowed. “Sorry.”

“Oh, that’s okay!” the tom-kit mewed. “It was fun sitting here with you, Tiny.”

“You too, uh… what’s your name?”

“Don’t have one yet,” the tom-kit murmured. “I guess I will soon. Not for several seasons, though.”

“Guess you’ll be kinda old by then.”

“Well, so it goes. My name will be good, anyways. Important.”

“How could a name be important?” Tiny asked.

“I guess you’ll see,” the kit meowed. “You’ll see me again sometime after I get my name. Well, my first one. I look forward to meeting you again, brother.”

“I’ll have new siblings?” Tiny mewed. “I’m so excited! I’ll treat you so well and not like Socks and Ruby always treated  _ me _ .”

“I’ll be six moons old when we meet again. Maybe you’ll be my mentor?”

Tiny frowned. “What’s a mentor?”

“Though I guess  _ she’ll _ be my mentor instead…” The kit hummed thoughtfully. “Things are already laid out before us, Tiny.”

“I-I have no idea what you’re saying, Rusty.” Tiny only noticed the foreign name spill out after he’d already said it.

“Oh,  _ that’ll _ be my name! Thanks for the reminder, Tiny. Just remember, I won’t know about this when I see you. Just tell my future self I’ll be leader someday, okay? Or... maybe don’t!” He chuckled. “Don’t wanna get his hopes up.”

“Please make sense. I don’t understand.” For some reason he didn’t know, Tiny’s fur stood up.

“See you soon!”

And a bright light obscured his vision.


	2. Chapter 2

“Come back here, Tiny!” a voice growled.

Tiny whipped around, battering his attacker with soft paws, making sure not to unsheathe his claws. The other kit’s snowy white fur, ever a contrast to his own pelt, was covered in dirt from their play-fighting.

“That’s enough, Frostkit,” Robinwing chided her daughter. “He’s still healing. You need to be gentle.”

“ _He’s_ the one winning the battle!” Frostkit mewled.

Tiny had been here for about a half moon, and he’d gotten a good handle on Clan life and culture for the most part. The other kits were wary of him at first, but they all warmed up soon enough, and he played and shared tongues with them regularly.

The grown cats were where the trouble lay. Almost all of them, with a few exceptions, either openly disliked him or avoided him completely, acting as if he didn’t exist. The purple collar still around his throat couldn’t have been helping.

Featherwhisker was always kind, telling him fun facts about animals and plants while he changed his poultice every day. Sometimes he’d tell him about cats in the Clan, but never anything too personal, of course.

Bluefur, his designated caretaker by Sunstar, often checked in with him, but whenever that monstrous Thistleclaw wasn’t near, she’d bring Whitekit, her late sister’s son, into their quality time.

Whitekit was a nice tom, if a bit… directionless. Despite Tigerpaw being an apprentice, Whitekit often spent time with him, mimicking his words and actions like a shadow. Due to Thistleclaw being his mentor, Tigerpaw and Whitekit were together a lot.

Back to present day. Tiny and Frostkit were play-fighting: Tiny was a vicious rogue stealing ThunderClan prey, and Frostkit was ThunderClan leader Froststar, defending her territory. So far, however, as previously stated, Tiny was winning.

“Well, still be careful,” Robinwing meowed. “Kittypets like him aren’t used to the roughhousing Clan kits are.”

“Yeah, I know,” Frostkit mewed. “We’ll be careful. Come on, Tiny -- let’s take a break and share some prey!”

Tiny followed Frostkit to the fresh-kill pile, uncertainty worming in his belly. “Do you… really see me as a weak kittypet?” he asked quietly.

“Well, yeah,” Frostkit replied. “That’s what you are. It’s not a bad thing; you’re still a nice cat. And you’re fun to be around.”

Tiny frowned. “Oh.”

“Hey, cheer up, Tiny. You’re still my best friend. Well, third to Brindlekit and Whitekit at least!” Frostkit purred with laughter.

Tiny looked down at his mismatched forepaws. Was he supposed to be upset over such a little thing like this? Frostkit didn’t mean to be rude. She was just being honest. Right? Well, if so, who knew honesty had such sharp fangs?

Frostkit searched through the heavy pile for a suitable piece of prey. Apparently in leaf-fall, the season it was now, prey was fattest, since it was preparing to retreat into their tiny dens for leaf-bare. So who cared if two kits shared prey by themselves?

Frostkit tugged out a dusky brown squirrel by its bushy tail. “I love squirrel! My second favorite to robins.”

“You can’t have several favorites, Frostkit,” Tiny mewed, stifling a chuckle, his mind distracted from its previous thoughts.

“Yes, I can! And because of that comment, I’ll be eating this alone.”

Tiny frowned again. “Oh, okay.”

“I was just joking, Tiny. Couldn’t you tell?”

Tiny shook his head. “Sorry. Thought you were being serious.”

“Of course not!” Frostkit meowed. “I’ll never make you go away, Tiny. You’re my best friend.”

Frostkit had already said that once, but the second time seemed to hit Tiny’s mind differently. Reassurance, ever-so gentle and welcoming. She really _did_ want him around.

Frostkit and Tiny eagerly chowed down on the squirrel carcass, not stopping until they were done and their bellies ached. Nearby, Featherwhisker, sharing tongues with Sunstar, chuckled at them. They perked their heads up.

“Don’t eat too fast, kits,” Sunstar meowed. “Best to make your meals last so you don’t have to eat as much prey.”

Featherwhisker nodded in agreement. “Sunstar, do you remember when you ate that rotten mouse just because you wanted more fresh-kill?”

“What?!” Frostkit mewed. “You’ve gotta tell us about it, Sunstar!”

“Oh, alright,” Sunstar replied. “Come on over, and I’ll tell you.”

The two kits did as they were told, sitting eagerly in front of the two littermates. The story was short, but the kits couldn’t stop giggling to each other when Sunstar revealed it had been roadkill gone bad while he was on a late border patrol.

“I’ll never forget the taste of the juniper berries Featherwhisker and Goosefeather made me eat,” Sunstar meowed. “And that, kits, is why if you’re hungry, just get a piece of prey from the pile instead of giving yourself a bellyache.”

“That’s so mouse-brained!” Frostkit mewled. “So you saw old crow-food and thought it looked good enough to try?”

Tiny was still giggling. “I bet it had bugs all in it.”

“Gross, Tiny!”

Sunstar raised a brow, noticing Tiny’s rapid rocking as he got more and more excited. “You seem very energetic, Tiny.”

“Oh, I guess so,” Tiny mewed, self-consciously making himself still once more.

“I guess you’re feeling alright then?”

Tiny nodded tentatively. What was Sunstar getting at?

“Perhaps I should have Bluefur escort you back to your nest today. You seem to be good as new.”

Tiny’s eyes widened.

“Are you ready to go home?” Sunstar asked.

“You know what?” Tiny meowed. “My wounds actually… they burn. A lot. Can I get something for it, Featherwhisker?”

“They burn?” Featherwhisker mewed, appearing alarmed. “But you have a poultice on, and they’ve been healing… hold on, come with me.”

Tiny followed Featherwhisker inside of the medicine den. “Your wounds are fine, aren’t they?” he asked.

“N-no, they burn and hurt and ache so badly!” Tiny mewed. “Can I please have some herbs for it?”

“Tiny, you can be honest with me,” Featherwhisker meowed. “I won’t tell Sunstar if you just tell me the truth.”

Tiny shuffled his paws, averting his gaze. “I don’t want to go home. Please don’t make me go home, Featherwhisker.”

Featherwhisker’s yellow eyes softened with sympathy. “You’ve gotten attached to ThunderClan. I _knew_ this would happen.”

Tiny nodded slowly. “I want to stay. I wanna grow up and be a warrior like Frostkit and the others will be. I can’t go back home. It’s so awful there!”

Featherwhisker frowned. “You probably don’t have a choice. Warriors shun kittypets and their lives, and you have practically no chance of getting in as a full member.”

“Please, will you ask Sunstar anyways?” Tiny asked. “You’re his brother, so he’ll say yes to you!”

“That’s not how it works, Tiny,” Featherwhisker meowed seriously. “I’m sorry, but you’ll probably just have to be taken back to your Twoleg nest.”

“Please, I can’t go back, Featherwhisker!” Tiny mewled desperately. “Socks and Ruby… they’ll hurt me so badly! They’ll say really mean things to me and make fun of me for running away! I wanna be a warrior! I wanna live here!”

Featherwhisker sighed, thinking for a long few moments. Eventually, he replied with, “Alright, Tiny. I’ll see what I can do.”

Tiny immediately perked up with relief. “Thank you, thank you!”

“You’ll be coming with me, though,” Featherwhisker told him. “If this is what you want, you have to tell him yourself.”

Tiny nodded, slightly nervous now. He followed Featherwhisker back outside and over to where Sunstar still sat.

“Can we speak to you?” Featherwhisker asked. “Preferably somewhere private.”

Sunstar nodded and rose to his paws. “I can tell it’s important,” he meowed as he led the two toms to Highrock.

Tiny gulped as they stepped into the leader’s den. It was a lot smaller than he thought it’d be, for some reason. As leader of ThunderClan, wouldn’t Sunstar have a larger and more… well, luxurious looking den?

Sunstar sat in his nest, curling his fluffy tail around his ginger paws. “You were saying, Featherwhisker?”

Featherwhisker nudged Tiny with a pale gray forepaw.

Tiny gulped yet again and mewed, “It was actually… _me_ who wanted to talk. Uh…”

The bold yellow gaze of Sunstar suddenly made him want to flee. He would just seem foolish.

“You can change your mind if you want to, Tiny,” Featherwhisker meowed.

That’s what made Tiny decide against doing exactly that. Would a warrior back down from a threat? Would a warrior let cowardice consume him? He did his best to steady his shaky paws.

“I want to join ThunderClan,” Tiny mewed boldly, raising his chin.

Sunstar raised a brow. “I’m not sure you understand, Tiny,” he meowed. “A kittypet can’t simply _join_ a Clan. You’ve been sheltered and cared for your entire life. You haven’t been exposed to the cruelty that this life brings.”

“I’m only three moons old,” Tiny told him. “I’m sure that doesn’t mean anything! I can harden up! Plus, isn’t that what being an apprentice is for?”

Sunstar frowned. “No, it isn’t. Clanborn kits are different from kittypet kits: they don’t _need_ ‘hardening up.’ I’m sorry, but you can’t join us.”

Surprisingly, Featherwhisker spoke up, “Sunstar, I’m sure we can make an exception. I’m sure it’ll be hard for him to be accepted by the Clan because of Pinestar, but he seems like he’d make a formidable warrior.”

“You seem to really believe in him. What if you’re wrong? What if he ends up lacking in warrior skills and is only a drain on the fresh-kill pile?”

“Then I’m wrong, and he can go back to the Twolegplace. But…” Featherwhisker struggled with his words: a rare sight for the calm medicine cat. “I really have a feeling about him. He’ll only be an asset to us.”

“A feeling?” Sunstar asked. “Has StarClan spoken to you about him?”

“No, but a medicine cat learns to trust his intuition,” Featherwhisker meowed. “Have I _ever_ been wrong, Sunstar?”

Sunstar sighed. “Unlike Goosefeather, no, you haven’t. Alright, here’s what I’ll tell you: I’ll give him another moon, and during that time, I’ll determine whether or not he’s fit to stay. If he is, I’ll give him a kit name. If not, back to the Twolegplace he goes.”

“Thank you so much, Sunstar!” Tiny mewed. “I’ll prove to you that I’d be a good warrior!”

“I look forward to it,” Sunstar meowed. “Now off you go. You don’t have to fake pain just to stay. For now.”

Tiny immediately ran out of the den and over to where Frostkit and Brindlekit now tussled. “Guess what, Frostkit?!”

Frostkit stopped batting her sister with her paws immediately, sensing good news. Her ears perked, she asked, “What?”

“I might get to join ThunderClan soon!”

“What?!” Brindlekit piped up. “I’m so happy for you, Tiny!”

“Me too!” Frostkit added. “But what do you mean, ‘might’?”

“Sunstar is gonna watch me for another moon to see if I can stay,” Tiny meowed. “I’m gonna make sure to show him my best self!” He lashed his tail with excitement.

“He’s not gonna let you stay,” a voice growled from behind, and Tiny immediately bristled, his limbs freezing in place.

“Leave him alone, Tigerpaw!” Whitekit mewed. “He’s just a kittypet, right? No reason to be mean.”

“That _thing_ is mouse-brained to think Sunstar would ever _really_ consider keeping it,” Tigerpaw went on. “He probably just told it so because it wouldn’t stop pestering him, like a little tick.”

“Stop it!” Frostkit mewled. “Tiny did nothing wrong! He has the spirit of a _true_ warrior!”

“What’re you trying to imply?” Tigerpaw asked, his teeth bared. “That _I_ don’t? That _I_ , a loyal apprentice who does his duties diligently and is naturally born with warrior skills, don’t have the spirit of a warrior?”

“Stop bickering,” Thistleclaw meowed, padding up to them. “Whitekit, you shouldn’t be around this pest. Tigerpaw, duties -- now.”

Tiny turned around just in time to see Thistleclaw’s grimace drop as he watched his apprentice go off to do as he was told. That is, until Thistleclaw looked back down at Tiny.

“Aren’t you supposed to be back with your Twolegs by now?” Thistleclaw asked bitterly. “Or are kittypets part of ThunderClan now?”

“Actually--”

Tiny immediately interrupted Frostkit, “No, I’ll be going when Sunstar says it’s time.”

Thistleclaw huffed. “Good. You’re taking too much prey from hungry mouths as it is. If he has any sense left, he’ll send you off first thing tomorrow.” He looked to Whitekit, his attitude completely changing, malice replaced with gentleness:

“Let’s go get something to eat, alright?”

Whitekit nodded. “The hunting patrol brought back a lot of good stuff.”

Father and son padded away towards the fresh-kill pile together. A sort of envy welled up in Tiny’s chest: if only Quince had been like that, so willing to be with Tiny, shoving away anything else on her mind just so she could spend time with him.

“Why did you lie to him?” Frostkit asked, pulling him out of his thoughts.

“I’m definitely gonna join, so I want it to be a surprise to everyone,” Tiny meowed. “Especially mean Thistleclaw!”

“But you told us,” Brindlekit mewed.

“‘Cause I wouldn’t be able to hide it from you guys. You’re my friends!”

“You’re so sweet, Tiny!” Frostkit purred. “You’re our friend too.”

The third time made him the happiest. It was so different here compared to home: Socks and Ruby only bullied and excluded him, whereas the kits here were happy to play with him without complaint.

Yes, it was definitely better here, even with Thistleclaw and Tigerpaw. Even they couldn’t compare to the cruelty of Socks and Ruby.


	3. Chapter 3

“Bluefur, I have something to tell you!” Tiny mewed, batting playfully at her flank.

“What is it?” Bluefur asked, turning her head sharply.

The two cats she was speaking with, Leopardfoot and Rosetail, turned their heads as well. Tiny realized, with a jolt, that Bluefur didn’t seem too happy to be interrupted. She _was_ in the middle of talking…

“O-oh, I’m sorry…” he murmured, slowly backing away.

“No, get back here. You’re a kit; you didn’t know any better. Just talk.”

Tiny’s eyes widened happily at the reassurance. “It’s a private thing.”

Leopardfoot huffed. “What ‘private things’ does a kit need to talk about?”

“Oh, hush!” Rosetail mewed, very clearly stifling a chuckle.

Bluefur stood and flicked an ear, her eyes narrowed with annoyance. She brought Tiny to the edge of camp near the entrance, her tail lashing behind her.

“What is it, Tiny?” she asked. “I was in the middle of something.”

“I just wanted to tell you, earlier I found out that I might be joining ThunderClan soon!” Tiny told her, his voice as quiet as he could make it through his excitement.

“Oh!” Bluefur meowed. “Well, good for you, though I doubt you’ll really get in. You see, it’s just how Clan cats--”

“No, no, Sunstar himself told me that he’d watch me for a moon and see how I turned out. If I’m good, I can stay!”

Bluefur frowned. “Well, in that case, you’ve got some shaping up to do.”

“What do you mean?” Tiny mewled.

Bluefur shook her head and sighed. “You don’t understand how Clan cats are, so how do you expect to replicate one?”

“You... really don’t think I can be a warrior.” His voice trailed off, his enthusiasm rotting in his chest.

“I’m only trying to be honest with you, Tiny,” Bluefur meowed. “I…” She sighed again. “Alright, I suppose it’s about time I told you about Pinestar.”

Tiny’s ears perked with curiosity. “I heard Featherwhisker mention him to Sunstar, and that cats might not accept me because of him.”

Bluefur nodded. “He was ThunderClan’s leader before Sunstar. We all loved him, admired him… but he left us to be a kittypet. He left his Clan, his mate, his kits…”

“He had kits? How long ago did he leave? Who was his mate?”

“He had three kits with Leopardfoot. He left a few moons ago. Anyway--”

“What were the kits’ names? Do I know them?”

“Well,” Bluefur mewed gravely, “you know _one_ of them. The other two, his daughters, Nightkit and Mistkit, are in StarClan.”

“Aw, I’m sorry!” Tiny meowed. “Which one is his other kit? Whitekit maybe?”

“Tiny, I’ve already told you that Whitekit is my sister’s kit.”

“So who is it then?”

“Tigerpaw.”

Tiny froze immediately, his blood turning to red ice. “But... but Tigerpaw _hates_ kittypets!” he blurted out.

Bluefur narrowed her eyes. “And now you know the reason for it.”

Everything clicked into place: the name-calling, the vicious attack that had almost cost Tiny his life, the glares across from camp... he knew there had to be a reason, but Tigerpaw’s own father abandoning him to be a kittypet…?

“Anyways, that’s the story of Pinestar,” Bluefur went on. “The Clan will be hesitant to accept you because of him, and I’m sorry for that, but that’s why I say you probably won’t ever be one of us. Sunstar is just indulging you, Tiny.”

Tiny frowned, nodding slowly. “...Okay. I-I’m sorry for... bothering you.”

Bluefur didn’t say anything for an abnormally long moment, then, “Tiny, if you want to be a warrior, you’ll have to learn to take things better. At least around others.”

“What do you mean?”

“Maybe… there’s a chance,” Bluefur murmured. “So I’ll help you. Sunstar was my mentor, you know? I’ll help you raise to his standards.”

Tiny let his teeth show in a gasp. “Thank you, Bluefur!”

Bluefur suddenly adopted a stern look. “But that means from now on, I’m your placeholder mentor. Understand?”

Tiny nodded excitedly. “What are we gonna do first?” he asked.

“Hold on. I’ll be back. Wait here, okay?”

Bluefur walked off without another word to him. Tiny saw her stop to speak to Leopardfoot and Rosetail for a moment, and then she headed off towards Highrock, where she mewed at the entrance to the leader’s den.

Bluefur appeared to talk to Sunstar from outside, and then she made her way back to Tiny.

“Thank StarClan, Sunstar gave me permission to take you out of camp,” Bluefur meowed. “There’s a loophole in the warrior code: kits staying in camp doesn’t apply to you, since you’re not a Clan kit yet.”

Tiny brightened at that. “What are we gonna do? Battle training?!”

“Hold your claws there. Nothing that extreme. Just… a little thing. You’ll see.”

Tiny followed right at her tail, gaping at the sight of the forest. His pace constantly slowed as he took it all in. Luckily, she was there to keep him walking. Soon, long after his paws began to ache, they made it to the edge of the Twolegplace.

Or so he assumed.

“What are we doing here?” Tiny asked as they stopped. His heart jumped with panic. “You’re not really taking me back, are you?!”

“No, Tiny, you’re still with us,” Bluefur meowed. “You just need to leave something here.”

“Leave what? A stick? Some leaves? I see a nice rock over--”

“No, something _on_ you. That piece of Twoleg material around your neck.”

Tiny looked down at his collar, worn and loose with the amount of wear it’s received in camp. “For how long? Will we come back for it tomorrow?”

Bluefur shook her head. “No, Tiny. You’re going to bury it here and never dig it back up.”

“But why?! I _like_ my collar, and it doesn’t hurt anyone!”

“For several reasons, Tiny. First of all, an enemy warrior can and will grab it in battle and strangle you with it. It’s nothing but a handicap. Secondly, you’re not likely to stay with it on. Warriors don’t wear collars -- point blank.”

“But _I_ can!” Tiny mewed. “I’ll make sure nobody grabs it, and I’ll be such a good warrior that everybody will like me anyways, and--”

“No, Tiny. Take your collar off forever, and you’ll actually have a chance of staying. Up to you.”

Tiny looked down at his collar again while Bluefur backed away, as if to give him space -- and he really needed it. He thought of being a warrior, hunting and fighting alongside his friends, never again having to set paw back home.

He would really be happy, wouldn’t he? He might not even miss that pesky collar.

Tiny, his nose stinging with cries he forced himself to keep within, pulled his collar off easily with a single paw. It landed on the grass, and he forced himself to unsheathe his claws and scoop up dirt without another thought.

Tiny shoved the collar in the tiny hole his paws had just made, and he tossed the dug-up dirt back over it until it disappeared. His paws trembling, he looked backward at Bluefur, both pride and sorrow contaminating his mind.

Bluefur stepped closer to him again. “I’m sorry, Tiny. You just can’t have a paw in both worlds.”

Tiny nodded, clenching his jaws shut.

“You don’t have to keep it in. I won’t judge you.”

With that, Tiny immediately let out the wails he’d been withholding. His entire body shook, and he’d never felt anything worse than officially letting go of his attachment to home.

He’d hated it there, despised it even, but it brought a comfort unlike nothing else. Exclusion, sadness, and hatred had made its nest within, but now, he could finally begin to dismantle it. He didn’t have to go back, not ever.

And despite his sobbing, Tiny felt free.

* * *

Tiny and Bluefur returned to camp not long after. The first thing they heard was a loud, exaggerated groan from Tigerpaw.

“I was over here thinking you were taking him back to the Twolegplace!” he meowed with disappointment.

“Whoa, Tiny, where’s your collar?” Frostkit asked, running up to greet him.

“Well, Bluefur said--” Tiny looked over his shoulder, only to see that Bluefur wasn’t there anymore. “Well, I got rid of it! I’m not a Twoleg pet anymore, am I?”

“Nope!” Frostkit agreed. “You’re so cool. You were born as a kittypet, but now you’re gonna be a warrior! You’re gonna be so strong!”

“You really think so, Frostkit?” he mewed.

Frostkit nodded. “Yeah! Think about it: you’ll have to work _really_ hard to stay here. The rest of us don’t have to do that. You’ll probably be leader someday!”

“What’s goin’ on?” Whitekit asked, running over. “ _Who’s_ gonna be leader?”

“Me!” Tiny mewed. “Don’t tell anybody yet, but I’m gonna join ThunderClan in a moon.”

Whitekit’s yellow eyes brightened. “Cool! Did Sunstar say so?”

“Well, not yet--”

“But he will soon!” Frostkit mewed. “Tinykit was even just out of camp.”

“What?”

“You were just out of camp!” she repeated.

“No, no, what did you call me?” Tiny asked.

“Tinykit! Might as well call you it since you’re gonna be one of us soon.”

“I like it,” Whitekit meowed. “Imagine you get a huge growth spurt, and when cats hear the name ‘Tinypaw,’ they’ll think they’re just dealing with a little mouse, then bam!” A massive paw squashed a patch of grass.

“You _destroy_ them!” Frostkit shrieked.

Tiny frowned. “I still don’t wanna be named ‘Tinykit.’ Makes me feel… weak. And small. And I know I am, but it makes me feel like I’ll _never_ grow bigger or stronger.”

“Okay,” Frostkit mewed. “We’ll think of a better name for you then. But still, it’s so weird you got to leave camp!”

“Yeah, why were you allowed?” Whitekit asked.

“I’m not a Clan cat yet, so the warrior code don’t count me,” Tiny replied. “The forest out there is so _massive_!”

“Where did you go out to?” Frostkit meowed.

“Edge of the Twolegplace!”

“That’s supposed to be at one of our territory’s borders!” Whitekit mewed. “You went out pretty far then.”

“Yeah, my paw pads are even still sore,” Tiny whined.

A mischievous glint appeared in Frostkit’s dark eyes. “Maybe we could--”

“No, no, no,” Whitekit interrupted her, shaking his head. “We’ll get in _big_ trouble if we’re found out, and we’ll _definitely_ be found out!”

“We’ll just go out at night!” Frostkit meowed. “When everybody’s asleep. Then they won’t see us!”

“What?” Tiny asked, only now realizing what they were talking about. “You wanna go out of camp?”

“Yeah!” She turned her head to Tiny. “You don’t think it’s a cool idea?”

“Well…” He shuffled his paws. “I don’t wanna get you in trouble.”

“It’s okay! We won’t get caught.”

“I’m not coming,” Whitekit mewed. “Thistleclaw and Tigerpaw are always talking about how important the warrior code is. I should... follow it too. Sorry.”

Frostkit frowned. “Okay. But you won’t tell on us?”

“I won’t. Promise.”

"Maybe Brindlekit will come with us,” Frostkit mewed, this time to Tiny. “She’s been telling me about how she can’t wait to see Sunningrocks.”

“Just… don’t go on them,” Whitekit meowed, strangely worriedly. “RiverClan owns them right now.”

“I hope by the time we’re apprentices, ThunderClan gets ‘em again. Sucks that those fish-cats have them.”

“What’s Sunningrocks?” Tiny asked. He was sure he’d heard about it sometime -- the name was familiar -- but the specifics had slipped his mind.

“Guess you’ll just have to see for yourself when we go tonight!” Frostkit replied. “Talk to you guys later. I’m gonna go ask Brindlekit about it.”

With that, Frostkit scampered away, over to where Brindlekit played with Swiftbreeze’s litter of she-kits.

“Tiny, are you sure this won’t hurt your chances?” Whitekit mewed.

“Leaving camp, you mean? I’m allowed to!”

“But Frostkit isn’t. What if you guys get caught? Sunstar will think you’re a bad influence.”

“But we won’t get caught!” Tiny meowed. “We’re gonna go at night. It’ll be okay--”

“You’re so in denial,” Whitekit murmured. “Listen, you can do what you want, but you’re my friend, and I want you to stay, so I’ll say this: please don’t go. And maybe even try to talk her out of it. That’s your best way of staying.”

And after mewing the requests, Whitekit was gone: off to greet Thistleclaw, who was speaking with a few other warriors. Tiny looked after him, a sinking feeling in his gut. He really didn’t want to go, but he didn’t want Frostkit to go out alone.

Without realizing it, he’d started walking, and before he knew it, his paws were parked at the entrance to the medicine den. He repeatedly talked himself into and out of confiding in Thrushfeather, the words spilling out in the form of mumbles.

“Do you need something?” a muffled voice asked, and Tiny turned his head sideways to see Thrushfeather himself, herbs in his jaws, apparently having returned from a picking trip.

Tiny nodded. “I can help you put those away,” he mewed, instead of speaking about what was on his mind.

Thrushfeather smiled through the mouthful, and he led the kit inside. Together, both toms began sorting the new herbs into their proper places, the senior advising the younger in a gentle voice.

When all that was left was the thyme sprigs, Featherwhisker meowed, “Do you want to talk about it now?”

Tiny frowned, looking down at the thyme. “What did you say thyme was for?” he murmured.

“It calms anxiety, nervousness, and shock,” Featherwhisker replied. “Can you put them away? They go here.” He flicked with his tail at the area he meant.

Tiny sorted them in their spot. When there was nothing else to distract him from why he’d come, he just remained silent, avoiding eye contact. Why did he think it was a good idea to tell on Frostkit?

“You can change your mind if you’d like, Tiny,” Featherwhisker meowed. “But remember, I’m here to listen if you need me.”

Tiny shook his head. “No, I’m okay. It was nothing important.”

Featherwhisker didn’t seem so sure, but he nodded anyway. “If you say so. Is there anything else I can do for you?”

“No,” Tiny mewed. “But putting the herbs away helped a little, so thanks.”

Tiny stood and left the den, feeling incredibly guilty for wasting Featherwhisker’s time. He was sure Featherwhisker was only playing nice and truly hated him, like his Clanmates did. Why should such a well-respected medicine cat care for a kittypet?

Tiny felt his heart begin to pound faster, so much so that he could hear it in his ears. He recognized this as something that had happened here a few times already, but the fear of it only made the aching of his chest and the sweating of his pads worse.

Tiny heard someone say something to him -- he thought it might be a she-cat? -- but he really couldn’t tell any specifics through the muffle-like effect on his ears. He looked up dizzily, white fur coming into view, along with two deep blue eyes.

The corners of his vision turned black, just like they’d done on his first night here. He stumbled, and his forelegs folded, tossing him face-first into the dirt. He forced his jaws wide open, desperately sucking in air, trying to patch the leak he felt.

Tiny just knew he looked a fool. _Oh, the kittypet is faking an emergency for attention!_ He was sure Tigerpaw would yowl that sooner or later. These thoughts only made it all worse, and he wasn’t sure when he started hyperventilating, but it went ever faster.

“Tiny!” he could hear.

He was surprised that his name broke through the muffle enough to be discernible, though he couldn’t tell whose voice it was, since he could sense several cats around him.

A form pressed around him, forcing him to curl into a ball, and even then the pressure all over his body didn’t end. Within some moments, length unknown, Tiny could finally breathe steadily, and his vision and hearing returned to him in a flash.

“Oh, thank StarClan!” Frostkit mewed when she noticed, standing in front of him, her pelt bristled.

“What happened?” Featherwhisker asked, turning his head around to look at him. He began to pull away.

“No, please stay,” Tiny mewed. “Feels nice.”

Featherwhisker nodded, embracing Tiny closer. “What happened?” he asked again.

Tiny nuzzled into the pale fur on Featherwhisker’s spine. “I-I… got scared. I don’t know why.” He flinched when he felt someone lick his ear.

Frostkit frowned, pulling away from him. “Sorry. Whenever _I_ get scared, that helps _me_.”

“No, you can do it. Just... made me scared.”

Frostkit lapped at his ear tips gently, and Featherwhisker meowed, “You have to tell me what you were thinking about. You _know_ that’s why you got upset.”

Tiny shook his head. “It’s nothing. I said that already.”

“If you want me to help you, Tiny, I need to know,” Featherwhisker told him. “Maybe not now. Whenever you feel like. It’ll just be between you and me, if that’s what you’re worried about. I promise.”

Tiny nodded. “Okay. I’ll tell you when I feel okay about it.”

Featherwhisker smiled slightly. “That’s good enough for me. Will you be okay? You still feel a bit shaky.”

Tiny nodded again. “Yeah, I’m okay.”

Featherwhisker stood, leaving Tiny still partially curled in on himself. “Frostkit, take care of him, alright?” he mewed before padding off.

Tiny watched him go, then turned to Frostkit. “I... that was embarrassing.”

“Don’t worry!” Frostkit mewed. “Hardly anybody saw. Just me and Featherwhisker, and the other kits and the queens, of course. But nobody else!”

“Tigerpaw didn’t see?” Tiny asked.

Frostkit chuckled. “Oh, Tiny, you’re so concerned over him! Got a little crush?”

“What?! No! Gross!” Tiny stuck out his tongue. “He’s just so mean, I thought he’d take the chance to bully me some more.”

“Hm… yeah, guess you’re right. Lucky he wasn’t around then!”

“Where’d he go?” Tiny asked.

“I saw him and Thistleclaw head back out of camp not long ago. Speaking of out of camp…”

Tiny frowned. “I’m not going with you tonight. You have to go alone. I’m sorry.”

“Oh, I won’t be going alone. Brindlekit is coming too!” Frostkit did a double take. “I-- you’re not coming?! Why not?”

“Whitekit says it’ll hurt my chances of getting into ThunderClan,” Tiny mewed. “I’m sorry. And you shouldn’t go, either, he says.”

“Do you _always_ speak for Whitekit?” Frostkit huffed.

“N-no, I just--”

“You’re both a buncha mouse-brains!” Frostkit muttered indignantly. “I’m going, and Brindlekit is too, and Brindlekit says she might even get Redkit and Spottedkit to come. You should let go of that useless kittypet fear if you wanna join ThunderClan.”

Frostkit lashed her fluffy tail before darting away, over to where Robinwing lay on her side, Brindlekit pouncing on her flicking tail. Tiny growled to himself, consumed in a rare moment of annoyance. Why couldn’t Frostkit see this plan was mouse-brained?

“You tried to tell her off like I asked, huh?” Whitekit mewed questioningly, appearing at his side.

Tiny didn’t even bother nodding; he’d done too much of that today. “She’s such a... a mouse-brain! She’s only thinking about herself! What is she gonna do if she and those other kits get caught?”

“She’s taking the others with her?” Whitekit asked, his tone rising with surprise.

“Brindlekit so far, but it might be Redkit and Spottedkit too.”

Whitekit shook his head, disappointed. “Oh well. They’ll learn their lesson. Do you want to play some moss ball? Nothing else we can do to stop them.”

“We could… tell someone.”

“We promised not to! Our only way of stopping them is convincing, and it didn’t work, so we might as well accept that they’re gonna get in trouble.”

Tiny sighed. “Okay. Let’s play.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> apologies for the delay, and for the short chapter. next chapter will begin after a timeskip, so there'll be progress.

Tiny hardly slept that night -- not only because Tawnyspots had fallen ill again and had to move into the medicine den temporarily, and that meant coughing rang through the air every so often, but because of Frostkit.

On his second trip to the dirtplace, he saw Frostkit, Brindlekit, and Swiftbreeze’s three daughters leave the nursery. They all walked together to the dirtplace, and he made dirt as he saw them escape, a snarl visible on his features.

Tossing and turning in his nest, he mentally ran through every bad thing that could happen to them. A fox or badger could get them. An enemy warrior could steal them away. They could get lost. They could get caught and all get in trouble.

Several times, those strange hard-to-breathe fits began, but Tiny was able to interrupt them just in time to stop. At one point, he took a few thyme leaves from the store and ate them, despite knowing Featherwhisker wouldn’t be too happy with leaf-bare soon.

After that, Tiny felt a lot better, but he still couldn’t fall asleep. He wouldn’t let himself until he was sure they came back all right. He continued going to the dirtplace, not even to use dirt, just to sit for a moment and watch where they’d escaped through.

However, even when dawn arrived, they still hadn’t come back. Tiny left the medicine den, his eyes heavy with tiredness, and stood there, hardly even noticing when Whitekit approached him.

“It’s dawn,” Whitekit mewed, as if it weren’t obvious. “They aren’t here. They’re gonna get in trouble.”

Tiny nodded. “Oh, well. Just as you said: nothing we can do about it.”

“You aren’t worried for them?”

“Of course I am,” Tiny replied. “Just... mouse-brained. They should’ve stayed here.”

Whitekit got closer to Tiny, his fur brushing against the other’s. “I only hope the worst that happens is they get scolded. If they got hurt…”

Tiny’s cheeks burned, and he stepped to the side, away from Whitekit’s slight touch.

“Well, I hope not too,” he murmured, momentarily distracted from his previous worries.

“Maybe you were right,” Whitekit meowed. “Maybe we _should_ tell someone.”

“I can tell Featherwhisker,” Tiny mewed. “He’ll be calm about it, and then he can tell Sunstar.”

“No, _I_ will,” Whitekit told him. “ _I’ll_ take the blame for letting them go. You being part of it will only make Sunstar see you as bad.”

Tiny nodded, against his better judgment. “Go tell him now, and I’ll pretend to use the dirtplace so he doesn’t think I know.”

When Tiny returned after standing in the dirtplace for some time, he saw Featherwhisker padding quickly towards Highrock, Whitekit watching him go as he stood by the medicine den.

Tiny and Whitekit tried taking their minds off the situation by playing hide-and-seek, but they soon ran out of good places to hide, and they stopped, their minds finally succumbing to the worry they’d been putting off.

After they stopped, they sat together and watched Sunstar wake everyone and inform them of the situation through a Clan meeting.

“Robinwing’s and Swiftbreeze’s daughters are gone,” Sunstar meowed to the sleepy crowd. “Whitekit says that they went out last night, and he didn’t want to give them away until now, when he got worried.”

Tiny noticed that Bluefur’s head turned to look at Whitekit, who remained with Tiny by Robinwing’s side. There was something like disappointment in her eyes, only more harsh than disappointment would’ve been.

“Adderfang,” Sunstar went on, “as my stand-in deputy, you’ll lead a search party to trace their scent. Luckily, rain hasn’t hit us, so their trail will still be there.”

Adderfang nodded loyally. “We won’t rest until we track them, Sunstar. We’ll find them.”

“Good. Meeting dismissed.”

Adderfang then meowed, “Leopardfoot, Thistleclaw, Windflight, Stormtail, Dappletail, all of you will come with me to search for them.”

“I want to come too,” Swiftbreeze mewed. “Our daughters are out there, and I _need_ to help find them. I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself if I just sat idly by.”

“I’m coming as well,” Robinwing spoke up. “What kind of mothers would we be if we didn’t try to find our kits?”

Adderfang let out an affirmative hum. “Very well. Let’s get going then.”

And so Adderfang led his patrol out, Sunstar watching them go with a worried gaze. Tiny watched them go too, until Bluefur interrupted his empty thinking.

“Whitekit, why did you only wait until _now_ to tell someone they’d gone?” she asked, in a sort of reprimanding tone.

“I-I don’t know,” Whitekit murmured. “I just didn’t wanna give them away.”

Bluefur sighed. “Well, because you waited so long, something bad might happen to them. Don’t do it again.”

“I’m going to sort the border patrols,” Sunstar announced to the remaining cats. “Bluefur, take Patchpelt and Lionheart to the RiverClan border. Sparrowpelt, take Thrushpelt, Fuzzypelt, and Tigerpaw to the ShadowClan one.

“Both of your patrols, hunt after dealing with the borders. That’s all. Hopefully by the time you all return, the kits will have been found.”

Bluefur licked the tufted tip of one of Whitekit’s ears. “I’ve got to go, as you heard, but I’m really not upset with you. I’m just upset with the _situation_. Okay?”

Whitekit nodded. “Okay. I’m sorry for keeping it to myself for so long.”

Bluefur flicked an ear. “Well, you’ve learned your lesson, I hope. I’ll see you when I come back, if your father doesn’t happen to be near.”

And with that, she padded away, towards the cats of her patrol. Tiny frowned as he watched her leave.

“What’s wrong?” Whitekit asked. “You worried about them?”

“Oh, yeah, but--” Tiny shook his head, interrupting himself. “No. I’m worried about them. That’s all.”

“Well, maybe we can busy ourselves so we can’t think about it much,” Whitekit mewed. “Maybe Featherwhisker could use some help?”

“Help with what? He’s only just woken up. He hasn’t gotten any herbs to put away or anything.”

Whitekit frowned. “I was only trying to suggest something. There’s no reason to be grumpy over it.”

“The best way you can help is to stay out of trouble,” Featherwhisker told them, appearing suddenly behind them. “Play a bit maybe.”

Tiny jumped slightly. “O-oh, okay. Is… that really all we could do?”

Featherwhisker thought for a moment. “Actually, you two could keep Goosefeather company, if you want. He’s gotten more…” He paused, ”...well, anyways, some companionship would do him good, and _I_ have errands to run.”

Tiny narrowed his eyes, seeing the truth behind those words: Goosefeather was getting more and more unstable lately, and he needed a couple of kits to babysit him.

“We can do that!” Whitekit mewed, almost a bit too eagerly. “Right, Tiny?”

Tiny nodded, definitely less enthusiastic than his friend. “We’ll watch him.”

“Since when did I say a thing about watching him?” Featherwhisker asked teasingly. “I’ll be back soon. If your friends come back before _I_ do, feel free to leave him alone in favor of them. He can handle himself.”

Tiny and Whitekit let out affirmative mews, and then they ran into the medicine den together, not even sticking around to watch Featherwhisker leave. Goosefeather was already awake -- a surprising detail, since he hadn’t attended the Clan meeting.

Goosefeather was going through the herb store, searching for seemingly nothing, since he didn’t get anything out of them. He was muttering to himself, his fur as dirty and unkept as always. In conclusion, absolutely nothing was different with him.

Goosefeather’s blue eyes darted up, away from his search, to land on the two tom-kits, and he murmured, “The kittypet and the Clan kit... oh, together not the blaze, but…” He shook his head furiously, growling quietly. “No, no, not _that_ … not _him_ …”

Tiny had to force his pelt to remain flat. Goosefeather had always unnerved him, but today he seemed especially agitated, and that made Tiny more afraid of him. Maybe it had something to do with the lost kits...? Probably not, honestly.

Goosefeather never really seemed to care for kits, anyway.

“Featherwhisker said you needed company?” Whitekit finally spoke up, since Tiny clearly wasn’t going to.

Goosefeather stopped his muttering and low growling. “He said that, did he?” he asked with skepticism. “Well, I guess so long as you stay out of my way, I don’t really care.”

Whitekit and Tiny tucked themselves into a corner of the den, finding some stray feathers to play with that were infinitely more amusing than some old, crazy medicine cat. However, Goosefeather’s continued muttering caught the attention of Tiny:

“Oh, no, no... you _must_ be wrong… why do the stars tell me all of it, anyways…? I can’t stop it, so why should I know? Oh, StarClan, how you burden me…”

“He hears voices!” Tiny whispered to Whitekit, _having_ to tell someone after witnessing something so mouse-brained.

Whitekit looked over to Goosefeather. “I don’t pay much attention to him. Thistleclaw says he’s batty and shouldn’t be listened to.”

“He’s your kin, though,” Tiny mewed. “Bluefur says that he was her mother’s littermate, and _your_ mother was Bluefur’s sister.”

Whitekit shook his head. “So complicated! I consider my kin to be my parents and Bluefur, and that’s it. Anyone past that is just, like… an ancestor, I guess.”

“Ancestors are dead.”

“Well, look at him! Might as well be dead, walking around with that pelt and those eyes.”

“I might not look the greatest,” Goosefeather growled from his place, “but at least I don’t speak of a medicine cat in such a way.”

Whitekit’s scruff bristled under his fierce gaze. “Sorry, Goosefeather,” he murmured.

Goosefeather huffed. “You’d better be. If _I_ went around as a kit speaking of Cloudberry in that way…” He shook his head.

“Who’s Cloudberry?” Tiny asked, hoping to shift Goosefeather’s attention away from his frustration.

“She was my mentor.” Goosefeather’s voice was softer, less angry now. “One of ‘em,” he muttered.

“You had _two_ mentors?” Whitekit mewed.

“No, just her,” Goosefeather replied sharply. “She was once a _RiverClan_ medicine cat, but when ThunderClan had need of one, she came over here and was ThunderClan right until her death.”

“She sounded nice,” Tiny mewed.

Goosefeather nodded. “She was,” he murmured. “If, you know, a bit demanding. Couldn’t bite a flea out of my tail without her calling, ‘Goosefeather, go pick herbs. Goosefeather, go do this, do that.’” He shook his head.

“What’s wrong?” Whitekit asked.

“Everyone respected her so much, and everyone respects Featherwhisker. Why am _I_ the one that every cat steps all over?” He turned to look at Whitekit. “I can see the fate of every cat, you know. I know who you’ll be.”

“Will I be leader?”

Goosefeather frowned. “Cloudberry told me once never to tell anyone their destinies, and even if I disagree, I shall respect her wish for as long as I must.”

“Tell me mine!” Tiny meowed. “I won’t tell anybody.”

Goosefeather let out a sigh at that. “Oh, I’d love to, Tiny. You’ll see for yourself soon enough, though.”

Tiny tilted his head with unrestrained curiosity. “But seriously, I wanna know! Maybe just give me a little hint?”

Goosefeather opened his mouth to say something else, but he stopped himself, pondering it. Then he mewed, “Alright then. You and another will create a blaze unlike nothing else. That’s all you can know.”

Tiny almost said something else, but he was interrupted a syllable in by a frenzied yowl far outside. He and Whitekit darted out, Goosefeather following at their tails in a slower pace. They stopped when they noticed Windflight poking his head in camp.

“Sunstar!” Windflight yowled. “They’ve got the kits! RiverClan’s got ‘em!”

Sunstar approached Windflight in a rush. “Are they withholding them?” he asked.

Windflight shook his head. “They say they aren’t -- they say they found the kits trespassing on Sunningrocks while on a hunting patrol, but you can never be too sure with those cats. I was advised to come get you.”

“Alright, let’s go. No time to waste.”

Both toms left camp. Goosefeather huffed, shaking his head.

“So foolish. The kits will be fine. Why, kits have done worse and gotten away with it... oh, those ones…? No, no…”

Tiny wasn’t surprised to hear Goosefeather go off on an unrelated muttering tangent, but it hadn’t gotten any less confusing or irritating. He watched Goosefeather go back inside, yet he made no move to follow, which invited a questioning hum from Whitekit.

“He’ll be alright,” Tiny replied. “But hey, at least the others were found okay!”

Whitekit frowned, looking to his paws. “They’re gonna be in trouble when they get back, but I guess it’s better than them being dead.”

They played together for a while, but nothing seemed to sate their boredom properly, so they just ended up more restless than when they’d begun. However, they didn’t remain bored for long, since the patrol returned soon after.

Robinwing, Swiftbreeze, Adderfang, Dappletail, and Leopardfoot each carried a kit. When the patrol set paw in camp, said cats set the kits down onto the ground. Each one had their tiny ears flattened against their heads.

“You’re lucky that RiverClan gave you all back without a fight,” Sunstar meowed seriously. “I might have to delay all of your apprenticeships for this.”

“No!” the kits mewed in unison.

Sunstar frowned. “Well, if you all want to leave camp like apprentices, you can behave like them too. All of you have apprentice duties for the next half moon. Tigerpaw will be happy to hear he won’t have to do any until your punishments are over.”

Four of the kits groaned.

“Fine, fine, okay,” Brindlekit mewled instead. “We _should_ do something to help the Clan after we made everyone worry like that.”

“I just hope you five have learned your lesson,” Sunstar meowed warningly. “Now I’d recommend you all get started with your duties.”

All except for Frostkit scampered away, and the rest of the Clan seemed to disperse into their own activities after that. Frostkit, on the other paw, approached watching Tiny and Whitekit.

“Hi, um…” She shuffled her paws. “Sorry for being mean yesterday. I said some awful stuff. I didn’t mean any of it, and you’re a good cat, Tiny, for worrying about us like that. You too, Whitekit.”

“Well, we’re just glad you’re alright,” Whitekit meowed. “Though, please don’t go off again until your apprenticeship! That was too risky.”

Frostkit nodded. “I won’t. Promise.” She lifted her head. “I’ve gotta go do this stuff. See you guys later.”

Tiny watched her go. “Somehow I don’t feel that this is the only time she’ll get in trouble.”

Whitekit sighed. “Me neither.”


End file.
